slideshow

Backbone of Biodiversity at Risk

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains the...

slideshow

A Tale of a Right Whale

Suspended at the center of the Sant Ocean Hall is a life-size model of a North...

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Ad for Whale Baleen Umbrellas

Whale baleen, the stiff bristly mouthparts that sieve small prey from the water,...

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Whalers in the early 1800s

This illustration shows whalers of the early 1800s with their highly profitable...

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Phoenix’s First Sighting

January 14, 1987: Phoenix is first spotted as she swims with her mother, Stumpy,...

Personal Perspectives

History and Modern Science Collide for the 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan

Traveling aboard the Charles W. Morgan, a 173-year-old whaling ship on its 38th...

From Mermaids to Manatees: the Myth and the Reality

In centuries past, the ocean was thought to be full of krakens, sea serpents, sea...

Archaeologists Study Early Whaling Community in Quebec, Canada

For over a decade, Smithsonian's Arctic Studies Center archaeologist, William...